updated 10:45 am EST, Thu February 22, 2007

Pentax A30 and W30

Pentax joined in the slew of camera releases on Thursday by announcing a pair of compact point-and-shoots. The Optio A30 is one of the camera builder's most media-centric models. Capturing still shots at 10 megapixels, the A30 is also the newest DivX-capable camera from Pentax and records in the ubiquitous codec at full speed in 640x480. The new Optio improves on its A20 predecessor by raising the ISO limit to 1600 at full size and offering a special ISO 3200 boost at half-resolution. 3X optical zoom and active shake reduction are carried over from the previous model.

The A30 is scheduled for March at a price of $350. Read through for more news as well as larger images.

The Optio W30 is the firm's latest waterproof model and is especially toughened for prolonged shooting during dives. Its strength underwater has doubled over the earlier W20, Pentax says, submerging to 10 feet for up to 2 hours versus the 5 feet and 30 minutes of the earlier version. The 7-megapixel compact also sees a sensitivity increase to ISO 3200. Pentax anticipates releasing the W30 simultaneously with the A30 in March, pricing it at a lower $300.